Good news...

I found out that I am NOT going to loose my job at the end of the year!! I am very relieved to finally have an answer, and even more relieved that I will be employed going into 2009 :) I truly do feel very blessed and lucky. I am now officially ready to kick off my 20 day Christmas vacation, and to celebrate the Holidays with my family without any worries hanging over my head. Thank you so much to everyone who has called, emailed, and had me in your thoughts and prayers. I really appreciate it!

Santa Claus is coming to town...

We have been busy lately at our house getting ready for Santa to come! It started the weekend after Thanksgiving when we hung the Christmas lights outside and put up our Christmas tree. Parker enjoyed helping with both of these things this year, and was actually a good little helper. He is OBSESSED with Christmas lights, and I think he would be happy to drive around all night looking at them. He is also very into singing Christmas songs right now. He sings 'Jingle Bells' all the time now, thanks to the singing penguin that Grammy and PawPaw got for him! His other favorites are 'Santa Claus is coming to town, and Frosty the Snowman.'

We have been talking to him a lot about Santa, and a lot of mornings he will come to the top of our steps and look down at the tree and say "No, Santa not bring my presents yet." I think every morning he is hoping that it just might be the day that Santa brings his presents. He also got to visit Santa twice this weekend, and he loved it both times. We went to the mall for our annual trip and photo, and he told Santa he wanted Thomas the Train and some cars for Christmas. We also went to a Breakfast with Santa at my friend Stephanie's house today. Mr. and Mrs. Claus were there, and everyone brought a toy to donate to Vanderbilt Children's hopsital. It was such a great idea, and Parker once again went right to Santa without hesitation. Except today he said he also wanted a hat for Christmas :)

We had our first "big snow" of the year a couple of days ago. We went outside with Parker and he had a great time until his hands froze because he would not keep his gloves on. He was pretty much over it at that point. So, if anyone has any ideas on how to keep gloves on a toddler...please share!

I hope everyone is getting ready for Christmas and enjoying the holiday season!!


HANGING CHRISTMAS LIGHTS WITH DADDY





DECORATING THE CHRISTMAS TREE







PLAYING IN THE SNOW




FIRST VISIT WITH SANTA



BREAKFAST WITH MR. AND MRS. CLAUS

a follow up from the last entry...

We had a great first few nights in the big boy bed, and then he kind of took a turn for the worst. He decided it was more fun to pass out on his floor than the bed. It was really funny the first time we went up there and found him like that, but after several days of him trying to do that and fighting going to sleep we had to lay down the law and get him to understand that he can only sleep in his bed. Not the floor, the chair, etc. I think we are back on track and he has been doing great this past week. Here is a picture the first time we found him on his floor.

Family Facts

Here are a few recent facts and updates on the fam:


PARKER- We have finally made the transition from the crib to the "big boy" bed. After more than 2 1/2 years, he finally figured out that he could climb out of the crib. I am just glad that it lasted this long! He has always been such a good sleeper, and we were very nervous that this might really mess things up! I am happy to report that it has been 2 nights now since we made the switch, and so far so good! He thinks it is pretty cool to climb in and out himself, and tells us "I do it myself. See!" We are hoping that it continues to go this smoothly! Next on our to-do-list is to conquer the paci and potty training, which I have a feeling will not go nearly as smooth! Oh- and we can't forget the "BIG" haircut. We took him to have his haircut finally (since I have been doing it myself for the past year). The girl was a little scissor happy, and left most of his curls laying on the floor. It's OK though, I am betting they will be back by Christmas at the rate his hair grows. Plus-we of course think he is adorable, curls or no curls!



STACEY- As most of you know, I am in a "waiting" mode right now to find out if I am going to have a job after the first of the year or not. The entire flex-time pharma sales force is either going to continue in 2009, or we will all have our last day on Dec. 19th. We did not find out last week like we originally thought we would, so I am still just waiting. It has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least, and all I can do now is hope and pray that it works out how it is suppose to. I really do feel truly blessed to have had this job the past 2 years, and will always be thankful for that no matter what. Parker and I went to the lakehouse for a little overnight getaway last week with my mom and dad. It is so relaxing and beautiful up there in the fall, and it was so great to have some time with Parker and my parents. My mom's health is SO much better now, and it is so wonderful to see! Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers right now with my job, and I will be sure to keep you posted!



ANTHONY- Since Anthony doesn't do the blogging in the family, I will have to write for him :) He is really enjoying his job, and is doing very well! We are both just so happy that he is loving what he does. He has a nightly ritual with Parker which always includes playing cars and wrestling around on the floor! Sometimes it is hard to tell who is having more fun! I take over car and wrestling duties when Anthony is not here, but it is no secret that Anthony is the better wrestler of the 2 of us! He also deserves some kind of reward for being so supportive and great to me lately. One of the things I love about him is his constant optimistic outlook on life, which is exactly what I have needed during all of this work stress. So, hats off to Anthony for being a great husband, and a great father!





Here are some pictures from the past month. We are now gearing up for Thanksgiving this week and then Christmas will be right around the corner! I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!!






A FUN FALL DAY PLAYING IN THE LEAVES












AFTER HIS BIG HAIRCUT!





ALL BUNDLED UP FOR HIS WINTER VISIT TO THE LAKEHOUSE!


HUGS FOR GRAMMY TO KEEP HER WARM!


HELPING PAWPAW WITH THE FIRE, WHILE WEARING A HAT AND A PLASTIC BOWL ON HIS HEAD :)


AUNT B BROUGHT HIM AN "I LOVE NY" T-SHIRT BACK FROM HER TRIP!!

"Trick or Treat...ARRR!!"

PARKER THE PIRATE


THIS IS HIM SAYING "ARRR!"




Happy Halloween! We had both of our families over last night for a little Halloween party and to let the kids go trick-or-treating. Parker did not want to go down for his nap yesterday b/c he was ready to go trick-or-treating right then. It is very hard to explain "time" to a 2 1/2 year old. I promised him if he took a REALLY good nap for mommy that when he woke up it would almost be time to go trick-or-treating. So, I got everything out and decorated for the party while he was sleeping. 3 hours later when he woke up (he took me literally on the really good nap part) he went to the top of the stairs, looked down and said, "Look Mommy, it's pumpkins Birthday party." He then started "attempting" to sing Happy Birthday to pumpkin. He later wanted to know "Where pumpkin's Birthday presents?" I was cracking up! Everyone came over that night, and we had dinner and then headed out for trick-or-treating. I think all of the kids had a blast, and racked up on some major candy. Parker got the hang of it real fast, and at almost every house we went to he said his line we had been practicing. "Trick or Treat, ARRR!" The kids were wound up when we got back to the house! But- we did manage to get Parker to bed by 9:00 last night, without being on a sugar high! All in all- it was a SPOOKTACULAR Halloween!!! Hope all of you had a great one as well. Here are some pics from the recent Halloween adventures!




WE WENT TO A HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL LAST WEEKEND WITH GIGGIE, POPPY AND HANNAH








CARVING OUR PUMPKIN. HE WAS NOT VERY INTO TOUCHING THE "YUCKY" PART!



SO, WE JUST LET DADDY DO THAT PART :)



WE HAD TO GIVE HIM PIRATE FACIAL HAIR :)



TRICK-OR-TREATING


ALL OF THE KIDS



ELMO ETHAN AND PIRATE PARKER



MOMMY AND DADDY WITH OUR LITTLE PIRATE

Fall Fun

We had a WONDERFUL fall weekend! On Friday night we went to the Ghouls at Grasmere at the Zoo. It was a great event for kids, and Parker had a blast. His favorite things were the haunted hayride (don't worry it wasn't really haunted) and the Monster Bash (which was a dance party). On Saturday we went to Gentry's Farm with my mom and dad, MIL and FIL (anthony's mom and dad), and cousin Ethan. We went last year and have decided that going there will be a yearly tradition! It was a gorgeous fall day and we all had a great time. Ethan and Parker loved all of the kids activities, and burned off some major energy by running around like crazy! We picked out a little pumpkin for Parker, and a big pumpkin to carve. We also went to a Birthday party this weekend for Jack (Parker's friend from school), AND we celebrated Aunt Nina's Birthday! So- it was a jam-packed, fun-filled weekend for sure!! Here are some pictures from the weekend!

A month in review

Since it has been about a month since I posted anything, I thought I would just do an overview of what we have been up to lately. We took a trip to Memphis, TN a few weeks ago for a big family Birthday Party/Reunion. My grandfather is turning 80 this year, and several of my other extended relatives have big Birthdays coming up....so it was a really good excuse to get together and party! The party was at Mere's sister's house (Linda), and I think there were around 80 people there! Rick (linda's husband) is in a band, so they entertained everyone. Little did everyone know that they were going to be getting some extra entertainment from Parker as well. The minute the band started playing, he started dancing and he did not stop until we pulled him away to go to bed! When the band would stop to take a break, Parker would yell "One more time, One more time." They also let him play the guitar and the drums with them, which he loved. It was so great to see all of the family since we didn't get to go to Mexico Beach this year and see a lot of them! It was a really fun weekend, and a really fun get together!

We have also kicked off the beginning of fall with a few fall festivals, which I love! We went to one in Spring Hill a couple of weeks ago with Mere and Grandaddy, which was a lot of fun. Parker enjoyed sitting in the firetruck and also loved eating corn on the cob and funnel cake! We also went to a festival at Parker's school a few weeks ago, as well as Jump Zone night for his school. Parker had a great time bouncing and sliding around with his teachers and his friends from school!

This past weekend I went to Louisville to participate in the Race for the Cure Breast Cancer walk with Team Rachael Koontz! It was an AWESOME experience, and it was so great to see Rachael walk out during the survivor ceremony with a big smile on her face! It was also really great to visit with some of my other friends up there! Anthony and Parker stayed behind on this trip, and really enjoyed their male bonding time together! They went out to dinner just the two of them on Friday night, which I thought was really cute. They also spent a couple of hours at the park on Saturday, which they both really enjoyed! I am so lucky to have a wonderful husband who is such a wonderful father as well!

On a not so fun note, Parker and I were in a car accident a little over a week ago. It was a very scary experience, but THANK GOODNESS we are both OK. As the accident was happening, Parker was yelling "No Mommy, No." It was so scary because I did not know if he was yelling because he was hurt or scared. Luckily, it was that he was scared and he calmed down very quickly afterwards. It is something I hope we never have to experience again, that's for sure. Once the police came and did the report, and we were finally about to leave I just kept telling Parker "I'm so sorry, are you OK, I love you, etc. etc." He looked up at me and smiled and said "Mommy bonked cars", which was actually kind of funny. I needed that little moment to make me realize that everything was going to be OK!

Other than that, we are looking forward to some more fun fall activities coming up in the next few weeks, and REALLY looking forward to the day that the fall weather gets here and stays here! Oh- and we are talking to Parker a lot about Halloween right now, since he will be a lot more into it this year. He is already obsessed with pumpkins and ghosts! We have been telling him that on Halloween he will go to the door, and when they open it he will say "Trick or Treat." Well, this morning we were all walking out to the car, and when Anthony went to open the door to the house Parker said "Trick or treat, open the door please!" It was so funny! So, stay tuned for more pics from the month of our fall activities and Halloween!!


Happy Fall Ya'll :) (PS....Can you tell I like fall???)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parker's school picture

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sliding at the park with wild and crazy hair!



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------




The Fam in Memphis



Parker dancing with the band




His first drum lesson :)




----------------------------------------------------------------------------------



At the fall festival with Mere and Grandaddy




Sitting in the firetruck



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Rachael and I at the Race for the Cure Walk!




Shelly, Terri, Rachael, Stacey and Anne at the Race for the Cure!